As Audrey Horne would say, “Isn’t it too dreamy?”

These Kodak No.2s from the 1890s are pure bliss, as is every artifact in Diabolus’s Etsy shop. However, I’m on a self-imposed shopping strike until further notice (too much pottery on the mantle — and no, that’s not a euphemism, sadly), so I’ll just continue to post all of my material lusts here so I don’t have to actually buy them. It’s a flawed plan, but it usually works.

More background on the Kodak No.2 (not a Brownie):

The No.2 Kodak was the third camera produced by the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company, known as Eastman Kodak today. The No.2 Kodak was introduced in 1889.

Kodak No.2

Both the Original Kodak and the No.1 Kodak took 2 1/2 inch diameter circular photographs. The No.2 Kodak was physically larger and produced a 3 1/2 inch image. Collectors call these three models string-set Kodaks. String-set refers to the way the camera shutter is armed: a string that is connected to the shutter mechanism protrudes from the camera top. To arm the shutter, it is necessary to pull this string.

Due to the ability of the No. 2 Kodak to accept very large film rolls, Kodak recommended this model to the traveling photographer over other available roll-film cameras requiring more frequent reloading. An advantage of models producing round pictures was that the photographer did not need to worry about holding the camera level!